Turnout was expected to be low for Tuesday’s Los Angeles County elections. And it was.

Unofficial figures released early Wednesday put the turnout figure at 11.29 percent.

Election experts noted that the turnout tends to be low when there is no presidential race on the ballot, even when there are local offices up for grab and tax raising measures on the ballot.

The election included a countywide quarter-cent sales tax measure to combat homelessness, a successful re-election run by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, local council races and measures to control development and the production and sale of marijuana in the City of Angeles.

Of the 593,233 ballots tallied as of early Wednesday, 239,853 — or roughly 40 percent — were vote-by-mail, while the rest were cast at the polls, according to the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office.

It was unclear how many late, provisional and questioned ballots still need to be counted, and how they would affect the final turnout figure, but this is how it looked on Wednesday:

County Measure H

The quarter-cent Los Angeles County sales tax to fund anti-homelessness programs appeared to emerge victorious by a thin margin.

With all precincts reporting, Measure H had 67.44 percent of the vote, just ahead of the two-thirds majority it needed to pass. The measure was short of the threshold much of Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, but it steadily gained ground as vote-counting continued, and it passed the two-thirds mark only when the final precincts reported.

The Board of Supervisors declared homelessness a countywide emergency and chose the sales tax hike over a number of other funding alternatives, including a millionaire’s tax, a parcel tax and a special tax on marijuana.

There are roughly 47,000 homeless people countywide, according to a point-in-time count in January 2016. That total reflects a 19 percent increase since 2013, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

City of L.A. Mayor, City Council

The city’s mayor and six members of the Los Angeles City Council were celebrating re-election victories Wednesday, while Councilman Gil Cedillo appeared to have won as well, but by a tenuous margin over activist/businessman Joe Bray-Ali.

With all precincts reporting from Tuesday’s election, Cedillo finished with 50.98 percent of the vote, appearing to win re-election outright.

Cedillo had a 1,952-vote lead over Bray-Ali, a bike activist and former bike shop owner.

Of the three challengers looking to unseat Cedillo in the 1st Council District, which includes the Westlake area, Chinatown, Highland Park and Lincoln Heights, Bray-Ali presented the biggest challenge to the political veteran first elected to the seat in 2013 and who also served 14 years in the Assembly and state Senate.

It was unclear Wednesday whether the final count might land him under the 50 percent threshold to avoid a May 16 runoff.

Meanwhile, Mayor Garcetti was preparing for another term Wednesday, after easily outpacing a field of 10 challengers and avoiding a May runoff to keep his job.

The mayor proclaimed victory relatively early Tuesday night – when early returns had already given him about 80 percent of the vote – greeting supporters at a campaign party in downtown Los Angeles, touting his achievements over the past four years and vowing that more is to come.

“While other people are talking about doing big things, Los Angeles, we are doing big things right now,” he said. “My friends, big things don’t happen by accident. They require leadership. The job of the mayor is to get things done, and that’s what I’m going to keep on doing for each and every one of you here in this city. We’re breaking records at our port and our airport.”

“We’re breaking records for tourism and filming. We’ve housed more homeless veterans than any city in America. We’ve paved more roads than ever before. We’ve confronted climate change head on, by cleaning our air, conserving our water and expanding our green spaces. We enacted the largest tax cut in our city’s history and we’ve seen more small businesses start in the last four years than we’ve seen in decades.”

“… So we are doing big things, but we have a lot more left to do.”

Measure S

Despite a defeat at the ballot box, backers of a hotly debated initiative aimed at limiting development in the city of Los Angeles in part by blocking General Plan amendments for two years said Wednesday they were happy that their campaign has prompted change at City Hall.

“We not only exposed corruption but we began a process of reform,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which largely bankrolled the campaign in support of Measure S. “We built a citywide movement and we planted the seeds of change. Los Angeles will be a better place to live as a result of the Yes on S campaign.”

Measure S was handily defeated by voters in Tuesday’s election. The initiative was the most expensive – and in many ways the most bitter – campaign in the Los Angeles city election.

The measure would have halted all General Plan amendments, or special permission to developers known as “spot zoning,” for two years while the city updates its General Plan and community plans that guide neighborhood development.

The measure’s backers argued that City Hall is plagued by a “pay-to-play” climate in which wealthy developers who contribute money to elected officials’ campaigns get spot zoning requests granted while the proliferation of high-rise towers and other expensive developments have caused increases in the cost of housing.

Opponents, however, argued the measure goes too far, saying a halt to all General Plan amendments would undercut the city’s efforts to build affordable housing and housing for the homeless while severely hurting the local economy. Officials also argued that updating the General Plan and community plans within two years is not possible.

Measure M

Los Angeles voters have overwhelmingly approved a measure that gives the city tools to regulate the recreational and medical marijuana industry.

The city-sponsored Measure M easily bested a competing ballot issue, the initiative Measure N, which was crafted and pushed onto the ballot by a marijuana trade group that later opted to throw its support behind the City Council’s measure.

The measures were placed on the ballot in reaction to California voters in November agreeing to legalize recreational marijuana starting in 2018.

Measure M will allow the city to repeal a current ban on medical marijuana dispensaries under the previously approved Proposition D and replace it with a new set of rules for different types of marijuana businesses.

It will give the city tools to enforce its regulations, such as authorizing fines, criminal penalties or loss of power and water service for businesses operating without a license or ignoring city rules.

The measure also allows for gross-receipt taxes to be imposed on marijuana businesses, including the sale of general-use and medical cannabis, delivery services and manufacturing.

“Los Angeles is leading the country and world in responsible and inclusive approaches to legalization,” City Council President Herb Wesson said. “The passing of Proposition M is a great victory for common sense, law enforcement and all Angelenos. We gave communities a voice in the process, and their voices will continue to be heard. This measure is what responsible marijuana laws should look like, and we couldn’t be prouder of our city.”

Measure N called for giving permitting priority to 135 businesses that have been allowed to operate under the Proposition D ban, and also includes taxation and permitting provisions.

But since the city-backed measure also wound up containing a provision to prioritize the Proposition D-immune medical marijuana dispensaries, the group behind Measure N, the UCBA Trade Association, opted to back Measure M.

In the race for mayor, Eastern Group Publications (EGP) endorses the reelection of Eric Garcetti. Garcetti has proven that it’s possible to be a mayor for all Angelenos by his constant attention to the needs of all the city’s neighborhoods, while still giving special attention to the homeless, the poor and immigrants.

As mayor, Garcetti has continued to press for action to reduce pollution and to make the need to conserve water a shared responsibility.

Garcetti has been a strong voice for continuing the building of a world-class transit system and a world-class airport, making progress in each of those areas by gaining the support of both Angelenos and neighbors in other cities.

His endorsement of a livable wage for low-income workers has won our admiration, as has his support for protecting undocumented immigrants in the city. Most of all, we appreciate the fact that in Los Angeles, one of the most diverse cities in the world, our mayor can move around this city with the ease and comfort and demeanor only officials that are well liked and trusted are able to do.

Vote Eric Garcetti for Mayor of Los Angeles.

City Council District 1 – Gil Cedillo

Our endorsement goes to the incumbent, Gil Cedillo. For the most part, we have been pleased by changes in the First District, including cleaner streets in areas once heavily littered, and the faster cleanup of trash and items illegally dumped. No small task, given that the district is one of the city’s most densely populated.

While there are still many upgrades and improvements needed across the district – and all across the city, for that matter – Cedillo has made progress on improving the district’s infrastructure, including installing new streets signs and street lights along neighborhood thoroughfares.

Yes, we understand that bicycle activists are unhappy with Cedillo’s decision not to support a bike lane along North Figueroa Street, but as this newspaper reported at the time, there were many in the community who agreed with him, and many have told us they still do.

Gentrification will continue to be a hot button issue across the district and the city.

And while we agree that the building of more affordable residential units is needed, we disagree that the loss of affordable and rent control units can be blamed solely on Cedillo or any single city council member. There are limits – under current city regulations and ordinances – to the control the city has over what an owner can do with his or her property, and on who is allowed to buy property in the city.

In our view, Cedillo and his staff need to do a better job or articulating what they have done when it comes to development, why he has approved certain developments, and how he intends to protect neighborhoods from over development. But that’s not to say that we believe the councilman has neglected the communities in those areas, rather to emphasize that a little more face-to-face discussion and consultation could go a long way to reduce distress and dissention.

We give our endorsement to Gil Cedillo for Council District 1.

Previous EGP Ballot Recommendations:

City of Los Angeles

Measure S is Not the Solution – Vote No

Measure S – The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative – asks Los Angeles voters to approve a two-year moratorium on developments that don’t conform to the city’s current, but outdated General Plan, but the intended and unintended consequences will do more harm than good and deserves a no vote.

Yes on Measure M, No on Measure N

Measure M is a sensible step to ensuring the city can responsibly regulate enforcement and taxation on the commercial production, cultivation and sale of marijuana, now that California voters have approved its legalization.

Vote No on Measure N – which is no longer even supported by the cannabis industry.

Los Angeles County

We Need to Invest in Services for the Homeless – Vote Yes on Measure H

Measure H will authorize the County to hike the sales tax a quarter-cent to pay for much needed services for the homeless population in Los Angeles County. Funding includes services for mental health, substance abuse treatment, health care, education, job training, housing subsidies, outreach and other supportive services for homeless adults, families. Vote Yes.

Leaders of the campaign behind a development-control measure on the March ballot said Monday they will not stop sending out mailers that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department called unlawful for mimicking the appearance of an eviction notice sent by the department.

Sheriff’s officials sent the campaign a cease-and-desist letter last week, demanding that it stop using the department’s name and image in the mailer. It also called the mailer unlawful under the California Business and Professions Code.

The campaign responded: “While we respect the work and the mission of the Sheriff’s Department, we are disappointed that they and the Los Angeles County Counsel have inserted themselves into a political campaign in an apparent attempt to influence the outcome.”

Measure S on the March 7 ballot would halt all General Plan amendments — or special permission to developers known as “spot zoning” — for two years while the city updates its General Plan and community plans that guide neighborhood development.

Mailers mimicking the appearance of an eviction notice were sent out to residents on behalf of the Measure S campaign. (LASD)

Supporters of Measure S argue the city’s procedure of frequently granting spot zoning requests while elected officials routinely take campaign donations from developers creates a cozy relationship and leaves the impression that City Hall can be bought.

Opponents of Measure S — including Gov. Jerry Brown, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Councilman Jose Huizar — say it would limit the city’s ability to build affordable housing and hurt the local economy.

The eviction-notice mailer is intended to send the message that people could end up being evicted due to the rising cost of housing Measure S purports to help solve.

But in a letter to the sheriff’s department, Larry Gross of the Coalition for Economic Survival wrote that its leaders “have been getting phones calls from tenants who say they became frightened and unnerved upon opening their mail boxes and thinking they had just received an eviction notice.

“Then, they became angry when they realized that this was a dirty campaign ploy to scare them into voting for Measure S.”

LASD officials said state law prohibits a nongovernmental entity from using a trade, brand name, seal, emblem or insignia in a manner that can be construed as governmental approval.

But the Yes on S campaign dismissed the idea that the mailer could be mistaken as being from the LASD.

“The Sheriff’s Department’s purported concerns about the Coalition to Preserve LA’s `Yes on S’ campaign mailer regarding evictions are quite overblown. There is no risk of the public being misled that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is affiliated with or authorized the campaign mailer,” according to the organization.

Earlier this month, Garcetti criticized the campaign for using his image and a quote in an email blast, calling it a “dirty trick” that made it look like he supports the campaign when he is actually opposed.

City of Los AngelesMeasure S Is Not the Solution – Vote No
Measure S – The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative – asks Los Angeles voters to approve a two-year moratorium on developments that don’t conform to the city’s current, but outdated General Plan, but the intended and unintended consequences will do more harm than good and the measure deserves a no vote.

Any development requiring an amendment for height or zoning changes would be blocked.

At first glance, Measure S appears to be good government reform, stopping city officials too willing to approve zoning variances for construction projects in return for campaign donations. But developers aren’t the only special interest group with deep pockets and political muscle.

Angry about plans to construct two 28-story buildingss next to the headquarters of the AIDS Health Foundation that would block their view, President Michael Weinstein pushed forward Measure S and the group is the campaign’s largest donor.

Weinstein says uncontrolled development is a serious health and quality of life issue.
He may be partially right, but the reality is Measure S is also the latest form of NIMBY thinking: Not In My Backyard.

We understand the anger many people feel about developments changing the character of their neighborhoods and building projects out of sync with what communities want, but Measure S is not the solution; it’s overkill.

Yes, the city has done a miserable job of updating its now nearly 20-year-old General Plan to meet the city’s current needs. The 35 community plans that dictate where housing, commerce and industrial projects will be built, have languished for years.

Yet, while well intentioned, Measure S would not only stop bad development, it would also stop the building of much needed affordable and market-rate housing, homeless shelters and other projects.

Passage would be a hit to the economy, costing as many as 12,000 jobs and $1.9 billion in economic output, according to a study by Beacon Economics. Between 2,100 and 2,800 housing units would be lost annually, the study estimates.

The city, which is already facing a multi-million dollar deficit, would lose about $70 million in revenue from building permits, licenses and other fees, according to the Financial Impact Report issued by former City Administrator Miguel Santana.

Feeling the pressure from Measure S, the city council has now approved major changes to how it will handle future development. Under a proposal brought by Councilman Jose Huizar, the city will now update its community plans every six years at a cost of $10 million annually. Developers will also now have to use a city-approved company to complete their environmental impact reports.

Measure S has many things in it to like, but the problems it will cause outweight the benefits, there we urge a no vote.

Yes on Measure M, No on Measure N
Measure M is a sensible step to ensuring the city can responsibly regulate enforcement and taxation on the commercial production, cultivation and sale of marijuana, now that California voters have approved its legalization.

Passage would replace Proposition D, which currently regulates and licenses medical marijuana dispensaries in the city of Los Angeles, but is now outdated due to legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Measure M calls for the city to gather input from the community at public hearings on its implementation of the city’s licensing, taxing and enforcement regulations.

We believe that if you must have the licensing for the dispensaries growth and sale of marijuana, it should be controlled by a government agency and not by the industry as proposed by Measure N – which is no longer even supported by that industry. Vote yes on Measure M and no on Measure N.

Los Angeles CountyWe Need to Invest in Services for the Homeless – Vote Yes on Measure H
Placed on the ballot by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, Measure H will authorize the County to impose a quarter-cent sales and use tax increase to pay for much needed services to the homeless population in Los Angeles County.

It also includes an important allocation for “bridge funding” to help people on the brink of homelessness –many of them seniors struggling to survive on fixed incomes – stay in their homes.

Measure H is a companion measure to City of Los Angeles Measure HHH, a $1.2 billion bond measure to build thousands of permanent and transitional housing for the homeless over the next decade.

Taken together, the two measures represent a comprehensive, multi-layer approach to the complex issues that lead to homelessness.

We urge a yes vote on Measure H.

Community College Board Seat 4
Our endorsement goes to Community College Trustee Ernest H. Moreno.
Moreno has earned our endorsement for his years of dedication to the district after bringing East Los Angeles Community College back from a college mired in debt and in an old falling apart campus to the largest community college, well-maintained and progressively run and for having similar results while at Mission College.

Moreno has proven to be an excellent and judicious voice for the community he serves as a member of the board of trustees.